Hell's Angel
by themagiciian
Summary: Mugman comes to pay Cagney a visit- however, something's off... Something's different about him. He had turned to the devil, and now Cagney has to deal with the aftermath. A Cuphead fanfiction.


**Author's Notes:** Hello again! This is just a quick one-shot of Demon/Possessed Mugman and Cagney. This was written as a one-off a couple of nights ago, I apologise for any mistakes as I've not re-read this since then.

My other fic is still in progress. I promise! However, this was just for fun. :) Please enjoy!

* * *

 _Fuck_.

That was the last thing that went through his mind as a powerful shot to his side sent him toppling down, petals wilting over his face a little as the shame of his defeat began to bloom within, his landing on the ground making a loud thud. The pain seared through him, parts of his body was left charred and blackened from the more powerful shots. He breathed heavily, his breath catching every so often.

Cagney had his head down, away from his attacker. His eyes began to water from the pain- the burning sensation left him quivering. The sounds of his attacker approaching made him flinch, eyes clenched shut in fear as he felt the other loom over him, not even attempting to prop himself up. He hardly had the energy to move.

Mugman.

But, it wasn't Mugman.

He was possessed by the Devil. Cagney could tell. The way he composed himself was… completely off. His appearance was broken… his head was chipped in multiple places, a chunk of his handle had broken off, and his teeth were all pointed. And… oh God, his eyes. They were wild, his pupils were a glowing red- it was like nothing he'd ever seen before. It struck fear in him, so deep. The Devil had trapped him, changed him- this wasn't Mugman. This wasn't the sweet, pleasant boy Cagney had grown to love… He was merely a puppet for someone else now…

Cagney never even got to admit it before he- he changed. Internally he was kicking himself, for being too scared to own up when he could've.

He'd been forced to attack when Mugman had suddenly lashed out and… He had let himself lose to him, hoping it might bring Mugman to his senses. Hoping the victory would maybe satisfy him and he'd go away. Or that, mid-brawl, he would realise what was going on and he'd stop.

It didn't happen.

And Mugman simply laughed at his pitiful display.

"You're pathetic, Cagney," Mugman sneered, his finger prodding at Cagney's arm, "you're not the kind to wilt so soon… have you gone soft? You're no fun when you don't put up a fight, Cags, y'hear? You're no fun at all!"

The teasing was followed by a laugh, but Cagney didn't answer. He only lowered himself further away.

The lack of answer only earned him more poking, with no consideration of where Cagney may have been injured, followed by a short but loud growl when he still didn't say anything. "I know you went easy on me, you big fucking baby. It's not hard to tell- it's not hard to tell at all, because you're so fucking predictable!" Mugman raised his voice as he spoke. He only paused for a moment to let out a frustrated sigh. "You won't even look at me, you- you-"

In his annoyance, Mugman shot at Cagney's hand. It was a weak blow, but was enough to get Cagney to recoil and yelp. His other hand holding where he was shot, tears spilled down his face now. Thankfully, his petals were folded in enough to still obscure his face- though the reaction enough seemed to satisfy Mugman.

"I'm stronger, now, Cagney. Aren't you happy?" His tone suddenly went back to playful, and innocent. "Aren't you happy I'm better now? Aren't you? Aren't you?"

It was a small action, but Cagney shook his head. God knew he regretted it. In outrage, Mugman reached up and yanked his petal down, making sure Cagney was eye-level with him.

"You won't even look at me! Cagney, I did this because I wanted to make you happy! I wanted to make things better!" There was another tonal shift in his voice now, this time to sadness, and there was a stab of guilt in Cagney's chest. "You won't ever have to deal with the Devil ever again, he won't come near here, I promise… He even let me keep your soul contract, Cagney. You're bound to me, not him... Why aren't you happy? ...Are you crying?"

"I don't want to be bound- to anyone!" Cagney's voice cracked, his good hand reaching up to wipe away what tears had fallen. Much to his dismay, new ones were beginning to form and slide down his face. "I don't want to be ruled by some- some c-contract, Mugs! Y-You… what made you think you weren't good enough?"

Now there was silence on Mugman's part. The glow in his pupils were fading, staring right up at him, not blinking once. The grip on his petal had loosened, before his hand finally let go. Cagney sniffled, internally kicking himself, for he despised crying.

"...I just wanted to be a better f… _friend_." There was a noticeable hesitation, and his eyes darted around quickly, before finally making eye contact with Cagney again. "That's- that's all. That's all I wanted…"

There was a sinking feeling in his chest. His old feelings for Mugman were beginning to gnaw at him. He found himself feeling bad, even though he'd just been beaten down by this… this demon. That's what he was, a demon. He loved Mugman, yes, not this devil. Not this… thing that puppeted as Mugman. They weren't the same, he tried to convince himself, but- but god damn that was hard.

Especially when he saw Mugman's eyes begin to water up, too.

"Clearly the devil is more important to you than I am-"

"C-C-Cagney!" Oh God, the sobbing. Instantly, Cagney moved closer, flinching when he moved too fast for his body to keep up and his wounds burned. But he still reached up to cup Mugman's face despite that. "I-I'm s-s-sorry, I'm s-sorry! I-I-" He gasped hard for breath, coughing hard. Cagney tried to hush him but he was completely hysterical.

"Th-this is all my f-fault, C-Cags! I r-ruined e-everything!" Mugman reached up to hit the side of his head, chipping himself a little more. Cagney caught his hand before he could do it again. "M-me and C-Cups… w' gotta work for the D-Devil n-now and I-I-I- I c-can't, Cagney! I-I love you s-so much, I th-thought you might love me…!"

"I-" Mugman shook his head instantly, cutting off Cagney before he could even say a word.

"R-Really mucked it up th-this time, h-huh? You- you hate me now, d-don't you? I-I h-hurt you so bad… I d-don't know how I can even s-say I-I love you..."

Cagney went silent again, gently wiping away his tears. Mugman looked dejected. A real shell of himself. His own feelings for his blue-clad companion were never stronger.

...It wouldn't be the same.

But…

It was good enough for him.

"I love you too," Cagney gently murmured, shakily sighing after his confession, "I… I have for a long time, Mugs…"

The next silence was comfortable. There was an air of understanding. Cagney's hands never left Mugman's face, his thumb gently caressing his tear-damp cheeks. Mugman would lean into the touch, reaching his hand up to place his palm over the back of his hand. He'd give a soft smile, and Cagney would return it.

As Mugman's eyes began to flutter closed, Cagney interrupted the silence.

"It'll be hard, though." He spoke quietly, as to not disturb Mugman. He didn't want to trigger one of those giant moodswings again. Mugman's eyes reopened, his pupils gently glowing again. Perhaps that meant he was calm, Cagney idly thought, before continuing. "Are you sure we should…?"

"There's… there's no doubt in my mind, Cagney."

"Good… M-me too."

And with that response, Mugman's confidence surged a bit as he leant in closer, tilting his head to the side and pressed his lips up against Cagney's. It was an awkward kiss, their lips awkwardly fumbled together, as it was both their first. Secretly, Cagney felt disappointed that he couldn't do this whilst Mugman was… normal… but he couldn't deny his desires were satisfied by Mugman's clumsy kiss, which he felt ended too soon as Mugman pulled away.

"I'm sorry… for everything… but I'll- I promise I won't let you down again…" Mugman was breathless, face flushed, and those eyes… Cagney could feel himself falling for them a little bit. "...Do you want me to… destroy your contract?"

Cagney chuckled a bit, giving Mugman a wink. "Hm… I don't mind being owned for a little while."

There was a familiar giggle in response to that.

"I love you, Cagney."

"I love you too, Mugman…"


End file.
